CORNISH CATHOLICS AND EDUCATION

SIR,-" The failure of Cornish Catholics to react when a first-class political precedent was set by Mrs.
Beatrice Wright, Conservative M.P. for the Bodmin division of Cornwall," was one of several unfortunate statements printed recently in your columns.
Your correspondent seems completely to have failed to understand the posi tion of Catholics in that county and, in particular, the circumstances of the meeting which was held at Liskeard to discuss the White Paper on Education.
The following notes might help to give a more objective view of the situa tion and correct the impression given in your paper that Cornish Catholics have failed in their duty.
The parish of Bodmin alone, for example, covers an area greater than that of the county of Middlesex, yet its Catholic population would not half fill an average Church in that county.
Most of these Catholics are humble
people who have not known what it means to have had a secondary educa
tion, much less the Catholic social atmosphere of more densely populated parishes. Transport communications are almost impossible, the people are scattered, isolated and quietly but effectively made to feel in countless ways the disadvantages of being Catho lics, How could the few Catholic parents so situated " put up a strong
delegation to convince their M.P. and
their non-Catholic fellow constituents of Bodmin on the justice of their case," when they were, for the most part, completely unaware of the intended meeting in spite of the advertisement in some very local paper? There is not a more faithful little flock, none more loyal to its pastors, none that has to put up with more for its faith in this land to-day than these Cornish Catholics, whom your correspondent finds fair game, when for reasons he cannot appreciate this tiny band fails to rise up and fight the battle of its so much better off brethren.
Your correspondent might have enquired into the reason for the failure of Catholics to be represented at the meeting. I have not yet discovered any representative Catholic who was " speci fically invited by personal letter."
Those from whom the people naturally expect a lead in these matters—the
clergy—have no time to spare from
their wide pastoral duties daily to scrutinise the various local papers to discover which of them is going to
print, amongst its dances, donkey races and bun fights, the notice of a meeting,
the holding of which they have no means of knowing is even contemplated.
After the appearance of the two column report of the meeting in the Bodmin Guardian, contact was made
with the M.P. concerned and a reply was received expressing surprise that we were not notified of the meeting,
EIS the education authorities had been instructed to cover Roman Catholic
representation on her behalf. This, it would appear, was not done. Mrs. Wright, however, has offered an appointment to discuss the question before the Bill comes up in Parliament.
CHARLES J. WHITE, Prior of Bodinin. St. Mary's Priory, Bodmin, Cornwall.